Silkies are known for their unique feathering. Their feathers, except in their primaries, secondaries, legs, toes, and main tail feathers, lack the barbs which hold a feather together, so their feathers resemble human hair more than chicken feathers. They have feathered legs, a large puffed crest, and some even sport full beards. The skin of Silkies is dark purple, with matching combs and wattles, turquoise blue earlobes, and dark gray legs. If that weren’t enough to make them distinct, they have five toes on each foot and their bones are blue!



Silkies are wonderful chickens for a backyard flock, and great for children. They are exceptionally friendly, calm, and easy to handle. They're also considered some of the best mothers, and will go broody quite regularly. ​Some will have difficulty seeing due to their large crests and will remain subdued until they are trimmed. They may have particular trouble with predators as well as disease.